DNR researchers want to count squirrels. But they'll have to catch them first

[NickB79]

http://www.startribune.com/dnr-researchers-want-to-count-squirrels-but-they-ll-have-to-catch-them-first/379543301/

Every year, small-game hunters in this state bag hundreds of thousands of red, gray and fox squirrels. But lately, some hunters say, squirrels seem scarcer.

That was news to state wildlife biologists, who hadn’t given the state’s squirrel census much study.

“In general, squirrels are more or less like rabbits — they just keep reproducing,” said Ryan Tebo, a wildlife research biologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Many of the reports of squirrel depopulation came from hunters themselves, he said. “We’ve been hearing direct comment from hunters that they don’t think they’re seeing as many squirrels as they used to. They’re wondering if there’s an over-harvesting problem.”

Shit's getting bad when even squirrels are becoming an endangered species

[notemason]

1. Hang up a bird feeder

and watch how many come.

[nitpicker]

2. +1

[Nihil]

3. "They’re wondering if there’s an over-harvesting problem.”

No biggy, it's just like everything else that this virulent & violent species decides to consume.

(Mind you, I am pretty disgusted at the use of "over-harvesting" in this context but WTF-ever ...)

[sue4e3]

4. I live in the woods near a lake in NJ and we have an uptick of these huge squirrels .They're

twice the size of normal.I have one that hangs upside down on small tree I have in my back yard and he's so fat that the branch just bends over it's quite a sight. It's baby season here and I love to watch them . The only thing I hate is the young ones don't understand about the cars and of course people don't care. The younger drivers are worse so I been trying to engage them in bird watching , squirrel watching ect.. sometimes it works sometimes it don't.

[NickB79]

5. Sounds like a Delmarva fox squirrel!

http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/delmarva-fox-squirrel-no-longer-endangered-151116.htm

At about 15 inches in body length, minus the tail, Delmarva fox squirrels are larger than other squirrel species, and unlike more typical squirrels they're not usually seen in urban and suburban environments. Instead, they live on rural, forested lands and in agricultural fields.

The animals once ranged in healthy numbers on the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) Peninsula. But mid-20th-century forest clearing for timber harvesting, agriculture, development, and hunting decimated the animal almost completely.

Now, though, its numbers are so robust that the squirrel is no longer considered at risk of extinction.

According to the FWS, the squirrel has increased its range, since being listed, from four to 10 counties. Its population is now estimated at 20,000, covering nearly 30 percent of the peninsula, primarily in Maryland.

They're supposed to be absolutely massive for a squirrel.